High-tension-circuit breaker.



No. 758,621. PATENTED MAY 3,1904.

H. P. DAVIS. HIGH TENSION CIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT, 13. 1902.

N0 MODEL. 3 BHEET8-BHEET 1.

lTA/ESSES 6, ZVJE/JQ WHM' INVENTO I 21 TTORNE).

THE NORRIS Fergus co. mTo-Lm-m" wumuamm 0.1:

PATENTBD MAY 3, 1904. H. P. DAVIS. HIGH TENSION CIRCUIT BREAKER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13. 1902.

s sums-sum z;

O l h In WHHHHH 1 llI D ILIIL H H m All I 2 N0 M O DEL.

/N VENTOH A TT OFNEYI PATBNTBD MAY 3'. 1904; H. P. DAVIS. I

HIGH TENSION CIRCUIT BREAKER;

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13. 1902. y no uonnL. a SEEET S-BHBET a.

:1 5? if, 5& -54 g 55 L n 56' 50 WITNESSES: //v vtwon "hi: nomns mews 00., inwpma. wkskmarou n. c

UNITED STATES Patented May 3, 1904.

PATENT QrrIcIe.

HARRY PHILLIPS DAVIS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPO- RATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

HlGH-TENSlON-CIRCUIT BREAKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,621, dated May 3, 1904.

Application filed September 13,1902. Serial No. 123.347. (N0 model.)

T0 (1] Z who???) it may concern.-

Be it known that I HARRY PHILLIPS DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in High-Tension- Circuit Breakers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus employed for interrupting electric circuits either at will or automatically, and particularly to appara the arcs which form upon the separation of I the contact-terminals of such circuits and also to provide a means for indicating when the circuit-breaker is automatically opened and another means for positively indicating at all times whether the breaker is open or closed.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aview, partially in front elevation and partially in section, of a circuitbreaker adapted for three-phase alternatingcurrent circuits. Fig. 2 is a view, partially in plan and partially in section, of the apparatus shownin Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the movable contact members of the circuit-breaker and their supporting-framework. Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the parts shown in'Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and-6 are sectional detail views of two of the separable contact members of the breaker. Fig. '7 is a diagram of the circuits of the apparatus shown in the preceding figures.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, the separable contact-terminals and the apparatus directly connected to and associated therewith are inclosed within a casing l, which, as here indicated, comprises brick solenoids in closing the breaker.

, or other good conducting material.

or masonry end walls 2, partitions 3, and front and rear removable doors 4, of stone, slate, or 5 other suitable non-conducting material. The

operating mechanism for the circuit-breaker, to be hereinafter described, is mounted upon the top'or roof 3 of the chamber 1, this top or roof being of such material and thickness as may be necessary to withstand the weight of the parts and the pressure exerted by the Each of the stationary contact-terminals 5 of the circuit-breaker comprises a split pin 6 and a surrounding shell 7, both of which are of copperv The shelll 7 is inturned at its lower end to form a conical; seat 8, the axis of which coincides with that of the split pin 6. That portion of the shell 7 whichi 6 5 projects below its supporting-block 9 is split; longitudinally, as indicated. The block 9 is securely seated in a cylindrical insulator 10, preferably made of porcelain or similar materiah and corrugated throughout the greater portion of its length. The insulated line conductor 11 extends through the porcelain insulator 1O andv is securely fastened to the pin 6 and block 9, as. shown in Fig. 5. The insulator 10 is securely mounted in a frame 12, which is supported from the top 3 of the chamber 1 by means of rods 13, embodying insulators l t. The mov. able contact members 15 of the circuit-breaker are severally provided with holes 16 to receive the split pins 6 and with exterior conical surfaces 17 to engage with the inner surfaces of the conical parts 8 of the contactpieces 7. As shown, the circuit-breaker is of the double-break variety, there being two of the members 15 at the respective ends of each of three horizontal bars 18. Each bar18 is supported upon the lower end of a rod 19, of wood or other suitable insulating material, there being three of these rods19 for a threephase circuit. It is to be understood that the breaker may be adapted for use in connection with circuits having any desired number of phases and conductors and that it may also be constructed to make any desired number of breaks without departing from the scope of my invention. The upper ends ofv the rods 19 are rigidly fastened to a beam 20, of steel or other suitable material, two of the rods being fastened to the respective ends and the other to the middle of the beam. The bars 18 and the lower ends of the rods 19 are located in suitably-shaped receptacles 21,which are supported from the frames 12 and detachably fastened thereto by means of suitable locking and releasing devices 22. Each reeeptacle 21 comprises a sheet-metal casing 23 and a lining 24, of cement or other suitable insulating material. The interior of each receptacle is filled with oil or other suitable liquid 25, so that upon the separation of the contact-terminals the arcs which form or tend to form between such terminals are suppressed or immediately extinguished by the oil. The beam 20 is lowered to the position indicated in full lines in the drawings by means of gravity and the action of coil-springs 2(3 and is raised to bring the contact-terminals of the circuit-breaker into engagement by means of solenoids 27, their cores 28, and the mechanism operated thereby, such mechanism being as follows: Two levers 29 are pivot-ally connected at their inner ends to the beam 20 and are pivoted at their outer ends to the upper ends of links 30, the lower ends of which are pivotally supported upon the top 3 of the chamber 1. Pivotally connected to the levers 29 at approximately their middle points are the ends of levers 31, which are pivotally supported in standards 32 and are provided with segmental heads 33, to which are fastened the upper ends of the springs 26 and also the upper ends of chains 34, the lower ends of which are fastened to the solenoid-cores 28. Upon the pins 29, constituting the connection between the levers 29 and 31, are mounted the upper ends of two toggle-joint levers 35, the lower arms 35 of these levers having lateral projections 36, provided at their outer ends with counterweights 37 The meeting ends of the two arms 35 and 35 of the togglejoint lever 35 are so formed as to impinge against each other when the circuit-breaker is closed, and thus form a rigid support to hold the circnit-ln'eaker in its closed position, an adjusting-screw 38 beingprovidml so as to insure the proper alinement of the two arms when the breaker is in the closed position. .In order to mechanically release the circuit breaker when desired, and thus permit the springs 26 and gravity to force the movable members to their lowest position, 1 provide a hammer 39, the head of which is supported by a bell-crank lever 40, attached at one end to the core 41 of a small tripping-solenoid 42, the arrangement of circuits being such, as will be hereinafter more fully described, that when the circuit-ln'eaker electrically released this solenoid 42 will be energized, and thus force the head of the hammer 39 forard with a quick blow against the joint of the bell-crank level-35, and thus throw it out ward from locking position. A coil-spring 43 is provided as a buffer to receive the beam 20, when it reaches its lowest position, and a similar spring 4st is provided to act a buffer for the beam when the circuit-lneal er is closed.

Referring now to Fig. 7, which shows diagrammatically the circuits and controlling devices, the conductors 45, 46, and -17 of the main three phase circuit, respectively, include the primaries of series transformers 4:8, 49, and 50, the secondaries of these transformers being connected to overload relay-coils 51 and 52, which may be supported upon a portion of the circuit-breaker apparatus or framework or be located at some other more or less distant point, as may be found convenient or desirable. \Vhen the currents in the primary coils of series transformers a8, 49, and exceed a predetermined limit by reason of short circuits or overloads, the relay-coils 51 and 52 will lift their respective cores 53 and 54: to bridge the contact-terminals 56 of two conductors 57 58. The conductor 57 is connected to the positive pole of a suitable source of direct currents 77, and the conductor 58 is connected to a wire 59, which joins a contact-terminal 60 of a manually-(nJerated switch 61 with one terminal of the tripping-solenoid 42. The other terminal of the solenoid 42 is connected to the negative conductor 62 of the source of direct currents through one side of a double-pole donblethrow switch 63 when the main circu it-brea ker is closed. The movable member 64 of the switch 63 is provided with two projectionstia and 66, the former of which is engaged by a pin 67 on the arm 36 to move the switchblades into engagement with the contact-terminals 68 when the main circuit-breaker is closed and the latter of which is engaged by said pin to move the switch-blades into ongagement with the contact-terminals (SE) when r the main circuit-breaker is opened. (See Fig. 1.) In order that the attendant may know whether the cii'cuit-ln'eaker is open or closed without actual inspection of it, I provide an indicator 70, the indicating member 71-of which may be actuated electromagnetically in one direction and by aspring, connterweight, or other suitable opposing force in the other direction. It will be seen that one terminal of the in .|icator '70 is connected to the conductor 57 and that its other terminal is connected to one of the switch .-ontact-terminals 69, so that the position of the device 71 will show whether the circnit-breaker is open or closed. \Vhile the device serves to always ind icate to the attendant whether the circuit-ln'eaker is opened or closed and is operated simultaneously with the operation of the breaker, it is desirable to employ a snpplemental indicating device which shall act simultaneously with the automatic opening of the breaker to attract the attention of the attend ant more forcibly than the hand or pointer 71 will do. As one example of supplemental indicating devices which are suitable for the purpose I have shown an incandescent lamp 72, one terminal of which is connected to one of the switch-terminals, 69, and the other terminal of which is connected to a contact-terminal 73 of the manually-operated switch 61.

It will be seen that with this arrangement the lamp will light up only when the circuitbreaker is opened automatically. When the switches 61 and 63 are in the positions indicated in Fig. 7, the circuits are obviously such that the circuit may be opened automatically. If the movable member 74 of the switch 61 be moved into engagement with contact-terminal 60, the tripping-solenoid 12 will serve to throw the tripping device 39 40, and thus cause the breaker to open. If the breaker is open and it is desired to close it, the member 7 L of switch 61 is moved into engagement with contact-terminal 75 against the action of a spring 7 6, thus closing the circuit through the solenoids 27. The action of these solenoids thus energized will serve to close the breaker and at the same time throw the blades of switch 63 into the position shown in Fig. 7.

INhen the switch member 74 is released, it

will be returned by spring 76 to the position indicated in the drawings. This switch, as

well as other parts that are diagrammatically shown. may be of any suitable construction.

It will be seen from the illustration and the foregoing description that the mechanism is substantial in construction and effectively op-,.-

erative in service to open and close the circuitbreaker when desired either automatically or from a distance by an attendant, who may be located at the switchboard or at any other con-' venient place; that the construction and arrangement of the contact making and break-l ing parts is such that they make good contact and are easily separated; that gravity is eff fectively utilized in making such separation; that any impurities, such as result from carbonization of the oil, will sink to the bottom of the receptacles, where it can do no damage, and that the arrangement is generally such as to facilitate the operation and preserve the parts in satisfactory condition for service.

Variations may obviously be made in the details of construction without departing from my invention, and I therefore desire it to be understood that no limitations are to be imposed except such as are necessitated by the prior art and are expressly set forth in the claims.

I claim as my invention- 1. In an electric circuit-breaker, the combination with a stationary contact-terminal comprising a split pin and a concentric split shell having a conical interior, of a movable contactterminal having a hole to receive said pin and a conical exterior to engage the interior of the split shell.

2. In an electric circuit-breaker, the combiwith the stationary contact-terminal.

4. In an electric circuit-breaker, the combination with a vertically-elongated receptacle filledwith liquid and one or more contact-terminals located inthe upper end thereof, of

one or more movable contact-terminals, electromagnetic and link-and-lever mechanism for operating said movable terminal or terminals, toggle-levers for locking them in engagement with the stationary contact-terminals, and a circuit and circuit-controller for operating and controlling said mechanism.

5. The combination with a circuit-breaker,

electromagnetically-operated mechanism for opening and closing the same and toggle levers for locking the breaker in its closed position, of an automatically-operated switch and a manually-operated switch for controlling said mechanism to open the breaker and said last-named switch embodying means for effecting the closing of the breaker.

6. The combination with a circuit-breaker, electromagnetically-actuated mechanism for opening and closing the same and toggle-le vers for locking the breaker in its closed position, of controlling-switches for said mechanism and an indicator the position of the movable member of which indicates whether the breaker is open or closed.

7. The combination with a circuit-breaker and electromagnetically-actuated mechanism for releasing and for closing the same, of controlling-switches for said mechanism and two indicators, one of which indicates the automatic opening of the breaker and the other of which shows under all circumstances whether the breaker is open or closed.

8. The combination with a circuit-breaker and electromagnetically-actuated mechanism for closing and locking the same, electromagnetically-actuated tripping means and both manually and automatically operated controlling means therefor, of a device for indicating at all times the condition of the breaker and a supplemental device for indicating the automatic opening'of the breaker.

9. In a circuit-breaker, the combination with stationary and movable contact-terminals, a solenoid, a core therefor and link-and-lever mechanism between said core and the movable contact-terminal, of a pair of toggle-levers for locking the contact-terminals in engagement, a tripping-magnet and a device actuated thereby to throw the toggle-levers out of locking position.

10. In a circuit-breaker, the combination with stationary and movable contact-terminals, one or more solenoids, a core or cores therefor and link-and-lever mechanism between said core or cores and said movable contact-terminal, of toggle-levers for locking said mechanism in circuit-closing position, a tripping device for said toggle-levers, an actuating-solenoid therefor, and means for energizing said solenoids in accordance with the circuit-breaker movement desired.

11. In a circuit-breaker, the combination with stationary and movable contact-terminals, one or more electromagnets and mechanism operated thereby to move the movable contact-terminals to circuit-closing position, of toggle-levers for locking said members in said position, an electromagnet and a tripping device actuated thereby to move said togglelevers out of locking position, means for closing the circuit of either magnet at will and means for closing the circuit of the trippingmagnet automatically When the current in the main circuit becomes excessive.

12. In a circuit-breaker, the combination with stationary and movable contact-terminals, one or more electromagnets and. a system of levers actuated thereby to move the movable contact-terminal to circuit-closing position, and toggle-levers for locking said parts in said position, of a tripping-magnet for said toggle-levers, an indicator, a doublethrow switch and connections between the same and the toggle-levers whereby the circuits of the tripping-magnet and the indica tor are opened and closed by the movements of said levers.

13. In a circuit-breaker, the combination with stationary and movable contact-terminals, solenoids and lever mechanism operated thereby to move the movable contact-terminal to circuit-closing position, of toggle-levers for locking said mechanism in said position, a tri pping-solenoid for said toggle-levers, an indicator, a double-throw switch which in one position closes the tripping-magnet circuit and in the other position closes the indicatorcir cuit and an operating connection between said switch and the toggle-levers.

14. Ina circuit-breaker, the combination with stationary and movable contact-terminals, a supporting" frame, solenoids, cores therefor and. a system of levers connecting, said solenoids to the movable contact-terminals, of toggle-levers for locking the movable contact-terminals in circuit-closing position, a tripping device for the toggle'levers, a solenoid and core for acti'lating said tll[)1)l1lg(l()- vice, an indicator, a double-throw switch for the circuits of the tripping' solenoid and the indicator and operating connections between said switch and the toggle-levers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 8th day of September, 1902.

HARRY PHILLIPS DAVIS.

\Vitncsses:

Jos. W. ALEXANDER, WESLEY (.vr. CARR. 

